HYDERABAD: Consider this. Sunrisers Hyderabad need to defend 59 in the last four overs. Their bowling unit has all its big players, led by Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Considering the way the team has excelled in defending totals in the last three years, a similar result can be expected in this situation. However, when the 2018 runners-up found themselves in this situation in their first game of this season, against the Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday, they leaked that many runs, with two deliveries, still left.
Since 2017, the Orange Army’s bowling unit has been spearheaded mainly by Bhuvneshwar, with Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma and the wrist-spin of Rashid Khan complementing him. However, the former’s death-bowling economy rate since 2018 has been 10.87; quite a jump from his 8.95 for the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
If the bowling combination is tinkered with, it could have a cascading effect on their top-order. Sunrisers do have the services of other Indian pacers such as Basil Thampi, Thangarasu Natarajan and Khaleel Ahmed. But Thampi’s economy of 9.81 in 16 matches, Natarajan’s two wickets in six matches, and Khaleel’s lacklustre performances in his limited India outings hardly inspire confidence.
That makes Billy Stanlake a viable option (he had a decent run last year, taking 5 wickets in 4 matches at 8.12 before being sidelined by an injury). But his inclusion will have to come at the cost of ejecting David Warner, Jonny Bairstow or Kane Williamson from their top-three. That will entail getting in Wriddhiman Saha or Shreevats Goswami in their place, and both had poor runs last season.
Experts, though, feel that Sunrisers don’t yet need to hit the panic button. “It’s early-day jitters,” remarked former Hyderabad coach J Arunkumar. “The dynamics in the team might get disturbed if there are many changes. The management will have to analyse everything in the next three, four matches, and then decide. A lot of variables need to be considered. They have had the best bowling unit for years.”
There is another option of using Rashid at the death, as against Sunrisers’ usual approach of deploying him in the middle overs. “He has done well in the middle overs. If required, he could be tried at death. But that depends on several factors. If Indian batsmen are at the crease, then he might not be. Whether he is comfortable bowling in that period will also have to be considered.”